The Astros may have held their own in the second game of the series against the Dodgers, but the third and final game got away from them, and fast. By the seventh inning, the Dodgers had twelve runs, and by the ninth, the Astros only had two.
Here are the top three reasons the Astros were dominated by the Dodgers in the final game of the series:
Andy Pages
Now for the Dodgers, Pages was the number one thing that went right, but for the Astros he was absolutely killing them. Pages hadn’t hit a home run in three weeks, and the Astros handed him one for each week to make up for it. It wasn’t just one pitcher either. All three gave Pages a home run: McCullers Jr., Alexander, and Salazar, who has spent most of his time behind the plate filling in for Díaz. Not to mention, he robbed Cam Smith of a home run. Not only did he contribute to the Dodgers’ score in a major way, but he also limited runs for the Astros. A fantastic day for Pages, but a brutal one for the Astros.
Pitching
So far this season, pitching has been a significant struggle for the Houston Astros. Between a number of injuries and pitchers who are just not taking command on the mound, many of the games have gotten away from them due to poor pitching performances. A few players have had some stellar outings, but most of the time many of them can’t get past three or four innings, sometimes less, putting a big strain on the bullpen. Yesterday it looked like McCullers was struggling, maybe due to discomfort, but he also just wasn’t at his best. He has had some solid moments on the mound this season, but yesterday wasn’t one of them. Even his strong moments were clouded by the runs and walks he gave up.
Couldn’t Keep Up
The Astros were outplayed, which isn’t much of a surprise since the Dodgers are one of the best teams in the league and the Astros have struggled this season. That being said, when the Astros get it right they are a dangerous team, but unfortunately for them yesterday, players like Alvarez, Paredes, or Walker didn’t have those moments that make or break a game or get the team fired up and playing their best. Brice Matthews did have his first game-opening homer, which is exciting for him, and he put them on the board first on the third pitch, but from then on the Astros just didn’t do much.
After a brutal ending to the series, the Astros have the day off today, but are hitting the road to kick off a series against the Cincinnati Reds.